The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-05-19
SOME coMlcAL NAMES.
Kecollections of Queer Things Discovoeet
in Enylish Parish Registers.

Inc pocuttaF HOiHeACIdture dnS
phraseology which characterized, the
New Highlander of century ago, and
which still distinguish him from all the
other inhabitants of the United States,'
said a prominent citizen of st. Loui.
who was born and reared within tn,
sacred precincts of Boston, '.are moi
native to the soil, but came over in the
Mayiower along with the strange Gus
toms and stern religious principles Of
the Puritans. A Boston preacher is.
sued book some time last fall giving
the result of his researches into the old
chronicles and church records of towns
like Old Boston, Banbury and other
Puritan strongholds during summers
sojourn in England, and he found that
nearly all the phrases, expressions and
names peculiar to New England were
in common use there three hundred
years ago. And have myself found
in studying English nomenclature.
which, by the way, is a hobby of mine,
that many of the names, family and bap-
tismal, of to-day are but contractions
of the extravagant titles given by the
earlier Puritans. 1t is true we do not call
our children .Zeal-of-the-Lan. Jones'
or .Search-the-Scriptures Thompson, but
we have plenty Of such baptismal names
as Grace, Patience. Constance, Faith,
Hope, Beulah, Justice or Mercy. In
surnames Farwell is derived from
the old Puritan Christian name Fare
Well; Hopewell, now surname, was
once Hope-Well. Tiffany comes from
Epiphany, Truhart from True-Heart,
and SO ON. The names peculiar to the
Puritans, such as scriptural phrases
pious CALCULATIONS or godly admonitions,
began to prevail in England south of
the Trent, and particularly in and
around Banbury, about the time OF
Queen Elizabeth's reign. 1t was not
the mere result of cranky notions, but
the practice was instituted with de.
liberate purpose, the intention being 10
separate, as far as possible, the Puri-
tans from the goddess and make them
distinctive in name as well as in habits
and religious belief. Scripture names
they would gladly have taken. but the
publication of the Geneva Bible had
long before Hooded the country with
Hebrew names, and so, instead of Ne
hemiah or Zerubbabel, they took Good
Work and Hate-Evil. For upward Of a
century they gave no other names to
their children, and the combina-
tions were sometimes very comi-
cal. For instance, .Praise-God Bare
bone, the head of Cromwell's Par
Lament, is said to have had three
brothers named Fear-God Barcelona,
Jesus Christ me-Into-the-Wo rld-to-
Save Barcelona, and H-Christ- Had Not
Died for Thee Thou Hadst Been :
Damned Barcelona. Fancy sitting down
TO dinner with brother with such a
name and having to say, If Christ Had
Not : Died for-Thee- Thou-H adst- Been
Damned, please pass the butter This
gentleman, however, was never called
by his full name. but was Familiarity
called DR.. Damned Barcelona. Such
titles as Fight-the-Go -Fight-of-Faith.
Help-on-High, Learn Wisdom, What
Goodwill and Zeal-for-G God were COM
mon. The virtues were especial favor
ties. Sir Thomas Carew, Speaker of
the House Of Commons in James and
Charles reign, had four daughters
Patience, Temperance, Silence and Pru-
dence. The name Silence was es-
pecially popular as feminine title,
and it was used probably to stand as q
constant reminder of woman's great
failing. Diligence, Obedience, Perse-
verance, Humiliation and Repentance
were in common use, the latter grow
ing so monotonous that Sorrow-for-Sin
was sometimes used by way of change.
Another class of names were exhorta-
tory sentences, pious CALCULATIONS, or
professions of sorrow for sin, such as Re-
joice, Give Thanks, Be-Strong, Sin
Deny, Be-Steadfast or Do-Good. A man
named Skyes is said to have had four
sons named Love-Well, Do-Well, Die.
Well and Fare Well. Strange to say,
Farewell Skyes was drowned, and
Live Well, Do-Well and Die-Well were
the chief mourners. In an old register
at Bishopsgate is an entry that reads
something like this: Sept. l, 1611.--
job akt- Out-of-the-Ashes, being borne
the last of August in the lane going to
Sir John Spencer's back gate, and there
laide in a heape of asshes, was baptized
the 1st day of September following, and
dyed the next day AFTER If he had
lived he would probably have been
called Ashes for short. The name
Dancell- Dallphebo- Marke-A Antony Dial
lery- Gallery Cesar, which appears in
the parish register at Old Sevenford. j.
probably hit at Puritan eccentricity.
A Sussex jury of about the time of the
Restoration contained the following
names: Accepted Trevor. Redeemed
Compton, Faint Not Hewet, Make-Peace
Heaton, God Reward Smart, Stand Fast
on-High Stringer, Earth Adams, Called
Lower, Kill-Sin Pimple, Return Spell
man, Be-Faithful Joiner, Fly-Debats
i AZ C-~J 4